The 7th Annual Festival of the Arts BOCA will be presented March 7th – 16th , 2013 by The Schmidt Family Centre for the Arts at the Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real and Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, 201 Plaza Real (2nd Floor) in Boca Raton, Florida.
The Festival of the Arts BOCA will kick off on Thursday, March 7th as “Bourbon Street Meets Boca” with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Founded in New Orleans in 1961, Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the house band for the historic American site carrying its namesake – and among those included in Travel & Leisure magazine’s November 2012 list of “101 Places Every Traveler Should Know.”
On Friday, March 8th, the powerful Kodo, a troupe of legendary Japanese taiko drummers, will take the stage with the Kodo One Earth Tour 2013: Legend, produced under the direction of a Japanese Living National Treasure, Tamasaburo Bando, a Kabuki Theater legend.
Avant-pop classical violinist, Amadeus Leopold – formerly known as Hahn-Bin – is known for merging performance art with popular classical violin repertoire. He made his international debut at the Grammy® Awards at just 12 years of age, and in the years since has performed any many of the world’s most prestigious concert venues. He will perform with the Boca Raton Symphonia under the direction of Festival Music Director, Constantine Kitsopoulos, on Saturday, March 9th.
The Peking Acrobats®, whose spectacular, daring, and awe-inspiring feats will amaze the audience on Sunday, March 10th with a dramatic show accompanied by live musicians. The troupe has appeared on numerous television shows and movies, most notably Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven, Ellen’s Really Big Show with Ellen DeGeneres, The Wayne Brady Show, ABC’S Wide World of Sports as well as NBC’s Ring in the New Year Holiday Special.
A virtuoso performer unique among keyboardists, Cameron Carpenter will perform with the Boca Raton Symphonia under the direction of Kitsopoulos on Thursday, March 14th. Carpenter’s approach to the organ is smashing the stereotypes of organists and organ music while generating a level of acclaim, exposure and controversy unprecedented for an organist. Hitting millions of hits on the internet through YouTube and other channels, Carpenter is the first organist ever nominated for a Grammy® Award for a solo album.
Returning to the Festival for her second year on Friday, March 15th will be Valentina Lisitsa, one of the most sought-after classical pianists on the Web with more than 30 million YouTube channel views. She will join the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, for their first performance in Boca Raton under the direction of acclaimed conductor Peter Oundjian.
The Festival of the Arts BOCA 2013 will close on Saturday, March 16th with headliner Audra McDonald, one of the most highly regarded performers of our time with five Tony® Awards, two Grammy® Awards, and a long list of other accolades to her name. Most recently she received the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actress in the musical, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. She is also well known for playing the role of Dr. Naomi Bennett on the hit ABC medical drama, Private Practice, from 2007 to 2011.
“This year’s line-up of guest artists promises to delight and surprise our community,” said Constantine Kitsopoulos, Festival Music Director. “I’m so looking forward to working with Audra McDonald, who I had the pleasure of recently working with on Broadway; Amadeus Leopold; Cameron Carpenter; and the Boca Raton Symphonia to bring our audiences a new kind of performance experience that I know will open their eyes and ears like never before.”
Event Categories: Art/Craft Festivals, Concerts, and Events.
